Punishment outranks Promise
by Liz Jean Tonks
Summary: Abraxas allowed Lucius to stay with the Blacks over the summer. However, seeing his son's grades he changes his mind... /One-Shot


**AN: **Golden Snitch Forum; Hogwarts/Hufflepuff; [Event] Santa Claus is coming to town/ Write about Abraxas Malfoy.

Hogwarts Forum; Gryffindor; Hogwarts-Winter-Funfair-SOUTHERN, The Night Before Christmas/5. White Chocolate Truffles - (Genre) Family

Big thanks to my beta, Mason!

* * *

"Please, Father." Lucius' eyes were pleading.

"No, Lucius," Abraxas said, his voice firm. "There is no way I'll let you leave the house with grades like this." He angrily pointed at the parchment that was lying on the table. "This is your fourth Hogwarts year. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, Father." Lucius stared on the ground.

"And what does it mean?"

"It means that next year will be my O.W.L. Year," Lucius muttered.

"I can't understand a word you're saying if you're mumbling like that."

Lucius loudly repeated what he had just said.

Abraxas curled his eyebrows. Even if you didn't know Mr. Malfoy well, you could tell that he was consumed with anger. "Correct," the man said. "And do you think you will get Outstanding O.W.L.s if you continue like that?"

Lucius shrugged.

"Answer me!"

Lucius swallowed. "No, I don't think so."

"No, me neither." Abraxas went over to the table and picked up the parchment. Handing it to his son, he said, "And that is why you will get a tutor this summer."

Lucius bit his lip. "But you said I could go and visit the Black family for at least two weeks!"

"So you can waste more time fawning over the Black sisters?" Abraxas shook his head. "No. Apparently you've been busy with them all year, or you wouldn't have failed almost every class."

"I didn't fail them," Lucius mumbled. "I got 4 'E' and 3 'A'."

"And one 'D'."

"Yeah, I know. I still passed, didn't I?"

He had said the wrong thing. Abraxas threateningly planted himself in front of Lucius and said sharply, "Do you know which family you represent, mister?"

"The Malfoys," Lucius said uncomfortably.

"And do Malfoys simply 'pass' their tests?"

"No, sir."

"Do I need to remind you of what we stand for?"

"We're always the best, father."

"And are you?" Abraxas pointed on the parchment.

"No. I'm sorry."

Abraxas curled his eyebrows. "I expect Outstanding results next year. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Lucius pocketed his parchment, realising that he had lost. Nevertheless, he wanted to attempt it one last time. "But I was really looking forward to visiting the Blacks. And you promised me, remember?"

Anger erupted in Abraxas, who had just seemed to have calmed down a little. "Did you just hear me?" he shouted. "You will be studying this summer, and don't you dare bring up the subject of the Black family once more! And if you don't get decent results next year, you can be sure that you will not only study over the summer but over the Christmas and Easter Breaks as well!"

"Yes, sir." Lucius bowed his head, knowing that he had lost. There was no way his father would change his mind.

"Go to your room," Abraxas ordered. "I will be with you in a minute. Until your tutor arrives, you will serve well deserved punishment."

Lucius nodded. As he walked up the staircases, he dreaded how Abraxas was going to punish him. He hated it when his father was mad at him, since he loved and respected him more than anyone in the world.

_xxxx_

He didn't need to wait long. Abraxas entered the room, carrying a roll of parchment and a quill. As soon as Lucius had taken a closer look, he knew what was going to come.

Abraxas told him to sit down in front of the desk. Lucius lowered himself into his chair and waited for his father to place the parchment and the quill in front of him.

"I think you know the drill," Abraxas said. "I want you to write _'I will get better grades next year.' _You will start tonight and will write all day tomorrow. That should be enough for the message to sink in."

"Please, Father," Lucius protested. "Not an entire evening _and_ an entire day. That's not fair." But he closed his mouth as soon as he saw the look on his father's face.

"I don't think that's for you to decide," Abraxas said. "But in case you need a reminder, I will not hesitate to expend your punishment to another day of writing _'I will not talk back to my father.'"_

Lucius had no doubts that Abraxas would fulfill these threats. "I think I've already understood," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Good," Abraxas said and, after a last, warning glare, he added, "Start now. I'll come back to tell you when you can stop."

Lucius started to write. He could feel the pain in his hands the moment he had finished with the first sentence. The first cuts were always horrible, but Lucius knew it was going to be even more unbearable when they got deeper.

Abraxas Malfoy left the room. As always, Lucius thought about taking breaks in his writing – after all, his father couldn't see whether he was in fact writing constantly or pausing in between. But as always, he didn't. He knew better than cheating on his father, since Abraxas always found a way to find out about it.

Still, the pain soon got unbearable. It wasn't the first time that Lucius had to write lines, but the habitualness didn't help. It always hurt him like mad, even days after he had written with the quill. Lucius paused a second and then took the quill with his left hand. But after one sentence he stopped, having blurred the entire line. Blood was pouring out of his skin.

He knew that tomorrow was going to be even harder. His eyes were already getting teary and the time didn't seem to pass by. Lucius stared down on his hand. This was going to turn into a nasty scar.

His entire hand would already be scarred, if it wasn't for the fact that Abraxas always performed a charm to remove the scars at a time he thought to be suitable. The longest he had to carry a scar, it had been when he had lied to his father about breaking a window pane. But a week later, after Lucius had written his lines and stopped playing with his broom in the yard, Abraxas had healed his wounds.

He was a strict man and sometimes Lucius hated him for it. Tears were burning in his eyes and his hand was throbbing. But he knew that his father was right and that he deserved the punishment. He should have known that he'd get into trouble for neglecting school. Now he had to pay for it.

And as he was writing, he swore to himself that next year, his grades would be better. Not only did he want to avoid getting another punishment like this, but he also desired nothing more than visiting Narcissa Black over the holidays.


End file.
